Family & Parenting

Teacher Resigns Via YouTube Over Standardized Testing

Standardized testing has long been a hot-button topic among educational circles. But a veteran teacher is now taking a very open position against the concept by resigning from her job — and telling everyone about it on YouTube.

The video, which was posted on Tuesday under the account I Quit You Can't Fire Me, is quickly going viral. Her resignation claims how students and teachers alike can be affected by state-mandated curriculums and tests. The woman, a 4th grade teacher for the past 15 years, says that at one point, she was excited to contribute so powerfully to the lives of children — but over time, she believes the educational system has changed for the worse.

“The emphasis in education has shifted from fostering academic and personal growth in both students and teachers to demanding uniformity and conformity," she says. "Raising students’ test scores on standardized tests is now the only goal. And in order to achieve it, the creativity, flexibility and spontaneity that create authentic learning environments have been eliminated. Everything I loved about teaching is extinct.”

The now-former teacher says in the video that her school's administrators gave a letter of involuntary transfer for fostering a "poor for climate in [the] building." She calls the transfer "inhumane" and an attempt to silence her voice. She also claims the school requested she transfer for "not being a yes-man" and hopes the YouTube video will help her voice be heard.

"I care more about the people my students become than the scores on the tests they take," she says.

How do you feel about the increase in standardized testing in schools? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

10 Videos That Inspired Us in 2012

1. Arthur Boorman's Transformation

Arthur Boorman was a disabled, overweight Gulf War veteran for 15 years. Over and over, doctors told him he'd never walk without the support of crutches again.

On a bit of a whim, he joined a local yoga program, and ended up achieving what almost everyone had told him was impossible.

Watch his story for yourself.

2. Nike 'Find Your Greatness' Ad

Originally aired during the Summer Olympics, this Nike commercial -- featuring a 12-year-old boy named Nathan -- is surprisingly simplistic, but carries a big message: "Greatness is not beyond [Nathan's] reach, nor is it for any of us."

6. Hey (St.) Jude

In celebration of its 50th birthday, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital made a buzzing rendition of the Beatles' "Hey Jude," featuring the hospital's patients singing alongside nurses, doctors and celebrities like Betty White, Michael Jordan and Robin Williams.

8. Meyers Leonard Reunites With Marine Brother After Two Years

Meyers Leonard, a recently drafted center for the Portland Trailblazers, lost his father at an early age. From that point onward, his older brother, Bailey, took on a fatherly figure role through the hard times that ensued.

In this video, Bailey returns from duty in Afghanistan -- unknown to Meyers -- to watch his little brother play basketball for the first time in two years (Meyers, at the time, was with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.)

9. With A Piece Of Chalk

This short film, produced by German filmmakers JuBaFilms, tells the story of a young boy overcoming a painful past -- problems at home, bullying at school -- though breakdancing. Really good breakdancing, we might add.

10. Military Dad Surprises Family at Football Game

Sergeant First Class Scott Faile was supposed to be in Korea while his family -- wife, daughter and son -- were being honored as the "military family of the game" during a University of South Carolina football game in early October.

His family stood on the field, surrounded by 85,000 fans, as a message from Faile was played on the stadium's jumbo screen. What they didn't expect, though, was to see him walking out onto the field minutes later.

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